Only a day after its landmark deployment of Surface computing, AT&T on Friday said in an SEC filing and public comments that it would cut 4,600 positions from its workforce. The cuts, which account for roughly 1.5 percent of the company's 309,000 employees, are characterized as necessary to "streamline" its business and that the effect should be minimal for end users. Most of the positions cut are managerial and in areas customers aren't likely to notice, the carrier says. Company spokesman Walt Sharp also says that it's continuing to hire in other areas.

The company additionally points out that most staff reductions affect declining or unsuccessful areas, such as land-based phone service.

AT&T is considered the single largest wireless provider in the US, with more than 70 million subscribers, but is understood to be affected like its competitors by a struggling US economy that makes it difficult for customers to maintain higher-priced Internet and phone services. [subscriptions updated]